I have grown very fond of the micro 4/3 cameras and lenses. I have used the Panasonic G2 and now the G3 a lot, and the Panasonic lenses (Leica-made, I believe) are very good. With the 2x focal length factor, their 100-300mm zoom gives you 200-600 mm equiv in a compact and light lens with image stabilization. If you are interested, look at my web page (link below) where the Alaska and Nicaragua portfolios were taken exclusively with the G2 and G3, respectively. I have more recently been using the Olympus EM1, another M4/3 camera, and the truly outstanding Olympus 4/3 lenses that can be used with an adapter. This body and lenses are larger, heavier, and more expensive than the Panny offerings, but the body is more sophisticated and the lenses may offer an edge in quality (I particularly like the 50-200 zoom). Michael has articles about the Oly camera and lenses on this site.